Barnali Banerjee

Barnali Banerjee of Parambua village , Dhaniakhali Block, Hooghly district is a simple homemaker. She, her husband and their two children were struggling with poverty. Her husband used to work as a tailor, which was far from meeting the basic needs of the family. This situation played a great role in pushing her into a primary earning role. Both of them decided to do something on their own. They had an idea to start a stationery shop. But they didn’t have the required capital to start the shop. hey tried to a get loan from banks and other sources but could not avail because banks asked for collateral, which they were unable to provide. This time, Barnali met a VFS representative who promised her all kinds of support, including financial support. So, they took steps to start, rejuvenate and grow their small businesses with the stationery shop. In the month of March, 2016, she took a loan of Rs. 20,000 from VFS for the first time. With the money, they started the stationery shop behind a school in their locality, which Barnali dreamt of. Apart from books and other stationery goods, they started operating a photocopy machine. She has taken a total of Rs 76,000 in loans. Her outstanding loan amount is Rs. 36,000. Now her children are receiving quality education. They are living a healthy and a contended life. Barnali says, “My life is far from being perfect but I am happy with what I have and working hard to get where I want to be. I am happy and grateful to VFS for showing me the road.”